The Oklahoma Insurance Department spent more than $180,000 on high-tech shotguns, bulletproof vests and seven police-package vehicles that agency officials say were needed as part of its expanded focus on criminal insurance fraud.

But the purchases have raised eyebrows among some lawmakers who question why the agency’s nine-member anti-fraud unit  which primarily investigates white-collar crimes  needs equipment typically used by police officers and SWAT teams.

They are some of the most experienced criminal investigators in the state of Oklahoma. They investigate serious crimes including embezzlement, exploitation of the elderly and fraud. We’ve had cases where victims lost their life savings. We helped track that individual all the way to Florida where he was arrested. Our investigators also respond to natural disaster scenes, looking for unscrupulous contractors and making sure vulnerable consumers aren’t victimized for a second time.

I tell you, some of those embezzlers are downright dangerous.

Doak also says that his department is turning a profit making deposits into the Treasury:

In FY 2011, the OID deposited $121,055,455 into the General Revenue Fund, $59,884,843 into the Firefighter’s Pension Fund and $24,648,957 into the Police Pension Fund.

Exactly how much of future sums might be creditable to the Stoßtruppen, he didn’t say.

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When you have so many laws and rules and regulations that the regular police agencies can’t enforce them all and you need to give arrest powers — complete with big guns and body armor — to paper pushers, it’s a good bet you have too many laws and rules and regulations.